


A Decade's Drabbles

by Onhiro



Series: What A Decade Brings [2]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drabbles, F/F, F/M, Multi, Some angst, What a Decade Brings Universe, fluff in general, lots of fluff, mostly lighthearted, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-02-10 09:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18657967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onhiro/pseuds/Onhiro
Summary: Just as the title suggests, this is a collection of drabbles from the 'What a Decade Brings' universe. It'll be mostly lighthearted and fluffy, with some themes of angst. Things to expect? Stuff that happened before or after the main narrative, or during the main narrative and from different points of view. Just a heads up, some of these will be really short and to the point. I can also take requests!





	1. Domestic Activities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A normal afternoon finds Hannah doing the dishes while Barbara catches up on some reading before coming in for a cuppa. Based off of superevilbadguy‘s doodles of domestic!Hanbara, which are freaking amazing, and can be found on Tumblr! I highly recommend that you check out her work!

Domestic Activities

One mid-afternoon found Hannah dressed in a comfortable tanktop and a pair of sweatpants as she danced on the balls of her feet and sang under her breath to the music playing on the radio as she did the dishes, enjoying the feeling of the warm water and soap bubbles. A lot of people complained about doing dishes, but it was one of the chores that she enjoyed the most. It could almost be a zen activity, and one could actively see the fruits of one’s labor, piled high and gleaming in the dish rack as they dried. Barbara, on the other hand, was not so much a fan, but she didn’t mind mopping, which Hannah really did not care for, so it was an even trade.

Speaking of Barbara…the sound of feet lightly treading on the floor had her turning her head, her unbound hair whispering against her back and shoulders, and she paused, a slight blush appearing across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose as Barbara came in to the kitchen, and could anyone blame her? Barbara was always pretty, but it was at moments like these…

Barbara was smiling, reading glasses perched on her nose, dressed in a pair of leggings and a hooded sweatshirt, and one of her copies of Night Fall was tucked under her arm. “Hello, hun,” she said warmly, causing a surge of pure affection to run through Hannah. How had she gotten so very lucky to fall in love with and become the girlfriend of her best friend in the whole world? Even after as long as they had been dating, small moments like these never grew old. Barbara needed no makeup, no fancy clothes, no fancy hair-do to take Hannah’s breath away, and Hannah suspected that she never would.

Snapping out of her trance, she smiled back. “Hey, Babs. In for some tea?”

Barbara nodded before turning towards the stove and pausing with a slight frown. “Where’s the kettle?”

Hannah glanced at the stove as well, which only had the now clean pots and pans that had been used during breakfast and lunch. “Oh, right, I wanted to make room for the dishes, it’s in the cabinet with the baking pans.”

“Thanks, love,” Barbara smiled as she made her way over to the specified cabinet, bending down at the waist, and Hannah’s eyes flicked to Barbara’s presented, ah,  _assets_  and then to the soap suds in the sink, and she bit her lip to keep from snickering. She only had mere moments to act, and so she quickly wiped her hands off on the hand towel she had tucked in the waistband of her sweatpants before scooping as much of the suds as she could in to her right hand before whirling and smacking Barbara’s butt, soap suds exploding into the air as Barbara yelped and shot upright. Even before all of the bubbles had the chance to hit the floor, she was whirling, dark hair flaring through the air, but Hannah was already running, fairly cackling as she heard Barbara give chase after her.

“Just wait until I get you!” Barbara cried, but the smile could be clearly heard in her voice, and Hannah laughed again as she began to dart up the stairs, taking them three at a time, Barbara hot on her heels. She made it into the bedroom before Barbara finally caught her in a tackle that sent them both crashing on to the bed, and a brief spat of wrestling found Hannah on her back, grinning cheekily up at Barbara, her eyes glittering mischievously, Barbara’s hands wrapped loosely around her wrists, pinning her arms to the bed.

Barbara was trying to glare down at her, but her efforts were entirely spoiled by the wide grin that stretched her lips. “Brat,” she said affectionately. “Now my leggings are wet!”

Hannah licked her lips as she shifted under Barbara, her breaths starting to come faster. “That’s a shame,” she breathed. “We should get you out of them before you catch hypothermia.”

Barbara stared down at her before bursting out laughing. Dipping down for a languid kiss, she pulled slightly back, her gaze loving as she looked down at Hannah. “Just like you, always looking out for my safety.” Then she bit her lip. “I, uh, I might need some help changing, the cold is already making me feel so very weak…”

Needless to say, Barbara’s tea and the rest of the dishes went completely forgotten for quite some time…


	2. Table For Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara has come back from a research trip in France, and so she and Hannah go out to have dinner. Takes place 3-4 years before the beginning of What a Decade Brings.

Table For Two

It was a Friday evening in Wedinburgh that found Hannah and Barbara sitting across from one another in a small booth in their favorite all-you-can eat Chinese Buffet in town. They were celebrating Barbara’s return from rural France, where a witch’s library from the High Middle Ages had been unearthed some three weeks ago. Barbara had represented the British Library and had worked hand-in-hand with archivists from the Bibliothèque nationale de France preserving the findings, and Hannah was so very glad her girlfriend was home. The two-and-a-half weeks had seemed like a small eternity…

“So, how’s Diana doing at school? She still working on those projects?” Barbara asked before tucking in to her beef lo mein, and Hannah shook her head with a grin.

“Nope, she turned those in and is still the top of her class. Well on her way to getting both doctorates. She’s a bit worried about her residency time, but she’ll do great. How was France?”

Barbara groaned dramatically at the question. “Ugh, why do these things have to keep happening in the middle of nowhere? I swear some of the people don’t even know what century it is! We had one French farmer keep showing up with a pitchfork and calling us ‘chiennes Anglais,’ and thank the Nine we had some of the Gendarmerie with us or he might have been an even bigger problem. The town we stayed in was also tiny, not even any fast food restaurants. I tell you, Hannah,” she said as she scooped up another good mouthful of noodles with her chopsticks, “I cannot be happier to be somewhere where everything isn’t smothered in garlic!” Then she paused, chopsticks raised halfway to her mouth as she noticed how Hannah’s chin was resting on her palm as she gazed at her girlfriend fondly, a warm, tender smile on her face. “What?”

Hannah’s loving expression never changed, nor did her hazel eyes leave Barbara’s face. “Nothing, love, it’s just…I’m terribly glad you’re home, is all.” Barbara smiled at that, a blush dusting her cheeks as she tucked dark hair behind her ear, and Hannah’s grin widened as the warmth in her heart burned all the brighter. Now, more than ever, she knew it was time, and anticipation thrummed through her veins at the thought of the rings and bottle of champagne waiting for them back at home.

Barbara was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and tonight she would make it official. But that was later. Now? Now she was content to spend time with her love. The proposal would come, and it would be glorious when it did, but here and now, she couldn’t be happier. And so they continued to eat and talk, two lovers sharing a meal over a table for two.


	3. Testing a Cavendish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duel between Akko and Diana in chapter 9 of What a Decade Brings, told from Akko's point of view.

Akko’s attention was only partially on Hannah and Amanda as they came in from the athletic field that was being repaired by her fellow professors. She spared a glance at the two other witches, taking in their mud and dirt streaked clothes and armor and their sweaty faces. Both had fought hard, and Akko couldn’t recall a time that Amanda had faced such a challenge…at least, not a challenge who was her. And speaking of challenges…she glanced at Diana. The source of her current distracted condition.

Diana Cavendish. In terms of sheer power and magical talent, she was undoubtedly the foremost witch of the age. Barring any accidental or malicious death, she would live longer than even Headmistress Holbrooke, and her position on the Witching Council in a few centuries was all but assured. If Akko tried to fight her like Amanda fought Hannah, she would lose.

So. She  _wouldn’t_. After all, this wasn’t a duel to settle grievances between the two of them, which would be silly. I mean, sure, she was still somewhat annoyed at Diana for ten years of silence because of a freaking misunderstanding…okay, sure, she was still  _really_  annoyed at Diana for that. But she was Akko Kagari. She didn’t hold grudges for anything. No, this was a test to see how the Lady Cavendish would do against Silent Spring. And so, the plan that was forming in Akko’s mind was based off of that objective. Test Diana. Okay. She could do that.

“Barbara, would you be a dear and transform my clothes to something more appropriate?” Diana was saying. “I’d do it, but I want as much energy as possible for this.”

Barbara agreed, of course, and quickly transformed Diana’s clothes, though Akko hadn’t missed the way that Barbara had been drooling at Amanda. Not that she could blame her, Amanda in her armor cut…a fine…figure…..

Her thoughts ground to a stuttering halt as she fully registered the changes that Barbara’s spell had made to Diana’s clothing.

Oh. Oh  _my_. That…that wasn’t fair! Did her clothes have to be that form fitting? They had been bad enough when they were how Diana wore them to the reunion, but this… _mmmm_!

She was distantly aware of Diana saying something to Barbara, but if you had asked her what those words were, she wouldn’t have been able to tell you, her mind completely blank save for the frank appreciation for Diana’s appearance that rocketed around her brain like a loose firework. Because  _damn_!

Then Diana cleared her throat, and Akko’s red eyes flitted up to the British witch’s face, suddenly mortified at being caught staring and blushing. “Akko…are you ready?”

Flustered and not a little turned on, her response was stammered.  “Ahhh, yeah. Sorry, just got, uh, distracted there and I, hah…” she said, hands fluttering briefly at her sides before she forced herself to take a calming, focusing breath. She could be a raging ball of hormones later. Now she had a job to do. “Yes. Let’s get this done with.”

They walked out onto the field, Akko watching Diana out of the corner of her eyes, noticing that the slightly taller witch was fidgeting slightly, her wand in her hand, and she was twirling it in her fingers. For all the uncharacteristic nervousness that she was showing, Diana’s face was still focused, and another pang ran through Akko, settling low and hot in her gut. By the Nine, why did Diana have to be  _so…freaking…gorgeous_?!

But for all that attraction that still burned through Akko, she didn’t lost focus on exactly why they were walking out into the field. Concentrating for a moment, she felt her dress start to move around her body. “Diana?” she asked softly as the spikes at her shoulders shrank, the magical armor flowing fluidly across her shoulders and up her neck. Diana’s clear, beautiful eyes met her ruby ones, and for a moment, Akko faltered, forgetting what she was going to say. And so, she settled on: “Remember…sixty seconds to reach gold.”

Diana nodded, and Akko took in a deep breath as she continued further down the field, drawing her own wand. Within mere moments, she was at her spot, and Chariot lifted her wand’s magical megaphone as a refreshing breeze blew across the field, though it did very little to get rid of Akko’s sweat that was caused just as much by nerves as the armor that encased her body. “Ready, set,  _begin_!”

A shield instantly blossomed around Diana, and Akko wasn’t surprised by the reaction. Protection was important on the field of battle…but still, she was slightly disappointed. A shield meant that Diana wouldn’t be able to…then Akko blinked as Diana raised her wand, the strain clear on her face as she began to chant, though the words were lost over the distance between them. Double casting! Of  _course_  Diana could double cast! Such an impressive feat was only to be expected of a Cavendish. 

_Well, let’s see if I can’t make it a little bit more difficult for her_ , Akko thought to herself as she launched a barrage of fireworks at Diana. She watched as Diana paused her spell, likely expecting Akko’s spell to hit her shield, but that wasn’t the idea…a firework exploding in one’s face was worse than a flashbang, and Diana was about to get hit by six of Akko’s signature fireworks. Akko smirked as the booming reports thundered across the field and the sparks exploded through the air. There was no way that Diana was paying her any attention, and so to move on to phase two.  _Let’s see how she handles a crowd_! 

Akko quickly cast the smoke clone spell that Chariot had taught her, and even as the dozen copies of her began to dart towards Diana, Akko transformed into a mouse and began to dart in the opposite direction. If she knew Diana, the spell that she would use to react to the attack would be very impressive and definitely effectively potent. She wanted to get  _away_  from any possible blast radius or area of effect.

It was a good thing that she did. She glanced over her shoulder, her running stride faltering at the sight of the almost countless glowing swords that appeared in the sky before hurtling down, skewering her clones, and they exploded into smoke that quickly enveloped the field.  _Okay, perfect. She doesn’t panic at a crowd. Good_!  _Let’s see how she handles something_ really _scary_! Trusting that the smoke was hiding her from view, she returned to her human form before creating another smoke clone form. This one she transformed into Mor’du from the movie  _Brave_  with a  _metamorphie faciesse_  spell. That done, she pulled what looked like a monocle from the folds of her dress and peered through it, quickly spotting Diana’s magical signature…running towards her. Huh. She hadn’t expected that!

She pointed in the direction of Diana’s signature. “There,” she said, and with a loud, huffing groan, the transformed smoke clone shambled off into the eddying smoke, the dark massive bulk even giving Akko pause, and she had  _made_  it! Shaking her head, she too, moved out into the smoke, using the monocle to keep track of the bear clone and Diana as she darted along, swing far around and behind Diana. This was a tactic she had used before…those Silent Spring jackasses who had most recently tried to ambush her didn’t realize she had noticed them and had them chasing after a smoke clone until it was far too late. They should have known better than to send only three against her!

Shaking her head, she focused again. A throaty, raspy growl caught her attention, and she glanced through the monocle again to see that Diana had encountered the bear. The next few seconds would decide how well Diana would do. 

As Akko expected, Diana didn’t try to turn and run, and instead managed to get off a spell before the bear clone knocked the wand out of her hand, and Akko shuddered as she recognized the slithering magical signature of the spell…Diana had summoned a snake, like her aunt and cousins did all those years. Akko did  _not_  like that spell, not at all! Still, she didn’t hesitate to run forward. She had maybe a quarter of her wand’s energy left, and if Diana could recover her wand, Akko didn’t know if she’d be able to win. She was out of a lot of her tricks, and wasn’t so fond of the idea of going toe-to-toe with Diana!

She managed to get to Diana’s wand just before Diana, and she pressed the toes of her boot over the wand as she summoned an energy bolt at the tip of her own wand. “You lose,” she said, voice soft as she tilted her head to the side, mind releasing the bonds holding the smoke to the field as well as the transformation spell for the clone, and she glanced over with Diana at her clone, who bowed with a cheeky grin, and Akko rolled her eyes. Why did the clones always have to be so  _extra_? Diana also apparently dismissed her spell, the angrily roiling snake going away, and Akko couldn’t help the small breath of relief at that…she didn’t like that spell, not one bit!

“My time?” 

Akko looked back to Diana, who was sitting back on her butt, all decorum thrown at the window as she breathed heavily, and Akko had to fight the urge to smile at the sight of the normally extremely composed woman so relaxed. “A minute and twelve seconds. Most people lock up after they see the bear.”

Akko noticed Diana’s swallow, as well as how pale her face was, and a flicker of pride ran through her. She really scared her, huh? Almost as if to confirm her thoughts, Diana spoke. “That was…very disconcerting, and very well done.”

Akko grinned, the pride growing from flickers to a warm glow. “Thanks! I got the inspiration from a kid’s movie, believe it or not.”

The look that she got from Diana was nothing short of incredulous. “That  _thing_  is in a  _children’s_  movie?!”

“Well, seeing it on the screen is a lot less scary than having the actual thing attacking you.” Akko offered her hand with a smile, and Diana accepted it. Akko pulled her up, and for a moment, Akko was struck by a very strong urge to hug the blonde, but after a second’s hesitation, the urge passed. “Now that that’s out of the way…with how you reacted, I have no doubt that you’ll perform well on the field against Silent Spring, especially while part of a team. Come on, we have a  _lot_ of preparation to do, and need all the hands we can get.”

And as the two of them left the field, she felt the relief flow through her. She knew that Diana was going to do well heading into this, but having it actually out of the way lifted some of the weight from her shoulders. Diana was definitely able to hold her own against Silent Spring. Good. Now all that she could hope for was that the fickle gods of fate wouldn’t take Diana away from them…away from  _her_!


	4. Contact Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shortly after getting engaged, Hannah and Barbara realize they absolutely must get in contact with Amanda to let her know. Alas, it proves to be more of a challenge than they expected, and it doesn't go nearly as well as they would have hoped...
> 
> Set shortly after A Table For Two

Contact Lost

Barbara Parker didn’t know that she could actually be this happy, she realized as she stared down at the ring that was on her left ring finger, a warm gold and set with modest gemstones, with the largest being a beautifully cut topaz, her birthstone. Hannah’s engagement ring was an almost exact copy, save for her center stone being an aquamarine, matching her birth month, as well. Barbara realized she must be smiling like a fool as she looked down at the ring, but she didn’t care. 

Hannah had asked her to marry her!

The thought still floored her. Like, she knew that their relationship was going extremely well, but to have the question popped on her so soon after she got back from France...it was amazing, and the memory of Hannah going down on one knee in once they got home, looking up at her with love and hope and adoration clear on her face...Barbara dropped her head down to her hands as she only _just_  barely avoided the urge to squeal with delight. Honestly, only one thing could make this better, and that was...

“We should tell her.”

Hannah’s voice had Barbara looking up as the auburn-haired witch walked into the living room, a determined look on her face, holding the cups of tea that she had gone into the kitchen to get.

Barbara hummed in agreement as she accepted the teacup on a saucer that Hannah offered her. “I was just thinking that. We haven’t heard from her recently, not since it was revealed that she had accepted that endorsement deal. We really should catch up with her and let her know,” she said before she bit her lip worriedly. “But...”

“But how do we fit her in to the engagement?” Hannah asked, and when Barbara nodded, she sighed. “Well, being married to multiple partners is still considered bigamy and is thus illegal here, I don’t think we can get around that. I knew that before I asked you to marry me.” At those words, a bright grin flitted briefly across Hannah’s face, like the sun revealing itself on a dreary day, but soon the grim, thoughtful expression returned. “But, if she still in interested in continuing our unique relationship, I think there’s a way around it. Witches can register in covens. Not quite as good as marriage, but close enough, and I don’t think anyone would raise too much of a fuss. It’s rather well implied that the members of a coven are partners in  _all_  things.”

A slight flicker of disappointment at that, but one that Barbara stomped down with a vengeance. Her knee-jerk reaction that Hannah didn’t actually want to marry her was stupid, and she knew it. Still... “What if she decides she doesn’t want it to be official?” she had to ask, and Hannah sighed.

“I’d be really sad. She...she completes us. I know we never really had the chance to tell her before, but I’ve always seen the three of us together, forever, you know?”

Barbara nodded. She did know. Amanda was so many things...mischievous, loyal, brave, sassy, funny, a very generous lover. Life seemed too quiet without her in it, too boring, too mundane. She desperately missed the red-headed American a great deal. “Right, so, shall we ring her up this afternoon? Her crystal ball has been inactive for ages, but the telephone should suffice.” Even as Hannah nodded her agreement, Barbara felt a flicker of unease run through her. When Amanda accepted that endorsement deal, she had become very wealthy, very quickly, if the tabloids were correct. Paparazzi had given her some trouble, and so she had almost gone ghost. Barbara had also heard that the agency she was working through was rather draconian in their approaches to social media, having an intern or the like represent Amanda online, so that potential gaffs could be avoided, which she was sure that Amanda was very much not enjoying. But still...shouldn’t she have tried to get in contact with the two of them to let them know the good news?

No, that thought was poisonous. Amanda simply had to be incredibly busy, and simply hadn’t had the time. That had to be it. Surely she would still answer a phone call...right?

xxxXXXxxx

Caryn Elliott was typing away at the computer when the phone rang. Clearing her throat, she picked up the receiver. “Thank you for calling the Flying Star Agency, how may I help you, sir or ma’am?” she said in what she liked to call her sexy secretary voice. However, nothing but silence answered her. “Hello?” she asked, and just before she ended the call ( _stupid telemarketers_ ) she was answered.

“Er...Amanda?” came the woman’s voice. English accent, if Caryn had to guess, but she was from Texas and had never left the state, and so couldn’t say for certain. She glanced at the telephone’s display. Whoa. That was  _definitely_  not a phone number from the US. The accent and the foreign phone number was making her think that this was either a prank or a spam call. 

“No, this is Caryn. How can I help you, ma’am?” she asked, trying not to let too much of her suspicion creep into her voice.

A small burst of static. “Hi, yes, this is Hannah England, I’m trying to get in touch with Amanda O’Neill, I thought this was her personal number?”

Her personal number that had been somehow leaked onto the internet and subjected to a barrage of phone calls from fans, freaks, and paparazzi, Catelyn knew, which was why the agency had stepped in and had all calls to that number be rerouted through the agency. And with a name like  _that_ , she pegged this to be either a freak or a really unimaginative paparazzi. Seriously, someone named England with and English accent? Pull the other one! Bored now, she idly twisted some of her blonde hair around her finger. “I’m sorry, but Miss O’Neill is not accepting individual phone calls at the moment, but if you’re willing to leave a message, I’ll be sure to pass it on to her,” she droned, almost robotically.

“Er, yes. Ehm, could you just let Amanda know that Hannah and Barbara are trying to get in touch with her? We’re old classmates of hers from her Luna Nova days, and we’ve something important to talk to her about.”

Catelyn only just barely managed not to snort. Hannah and Barbara? Like the cartoons? God, it’s like they weren’t even  _trying_  anymore! Still she glanced over the list of accepted names for people to get forwarded to Miss O’Neill’s new phone, the list that had been vetted by the agency. No surprise, the cartoon duo weren’t on it. “I’ll be sure to do that, ma’am,” she lied without a moment’s hesitation or guilt. “Was there anything else I can help you with?”

“Do you have our number?”

“Yes, ma’am, it’s on our caller ID, I’m writing it down right now.” She wasn’t. “Anything else?”

“...No. That will be all, thank you.”

“Thank you for calling Flying Star Agency. I hope you have a wonderful day.”

Then the phone call was over, and Catelyn pulled the legal pad she was keeping track on over to her before making a tally mark on one of the columns. “Let’s see, that makes...seven ‘former classmates’ to call today. Hmm, catching up on ‘long lost family.’ And I was really hopeful for ‘you’ve won some sort of prize’ but that just isn’t providing much today. Strange. Ah, well, there’s always tomorrow...”

xxxXXXxxx

Meanwhile, back in England, Hannah and Barbara stared at the phone for a long moment before sighing. “I think we just got blown off,” Hannah muttered, and Barbara couldn’t help but agree.

“So, what do we do now?” she asked.

Hannah shrugged. “Keep trying? Not much else we can do. Either way, until we can actually get in contact with her, all of us together, we can postpone any wedding dates. If she’s not interested, then we can get married. If she is, we’ll register as a coven. Sound good?”

Barbara bit her lip, but nodded. “I hope she’s okay.”

“I’m sure she’s fine. This is Amanda we’re talking about. Now, what else did we have planned for today? Did you want to have dinner here, or go out? There’s a new Thai place I’ve been dying to try out, but wanted to wait until you were back before I did...”

They would try again, and again, and again, but after all those tries with no results, they soon stopped. It wouldn’t be until they were all on the Task Force arrayed against Silent Spring that they would finally be able to properly reunite, but that was some years in the future. In the here and now, the three lovers were separated by a loss of contact that was propagated by Amanda’s phone number being leaked, her agency arbitrarily deciding which of her contacts were appropriate for her without her knowledge, and a lack of opportunity for the three of them to meet face-to-face.

If anything, it would be a show of just how deeply they cared for each other that the reunion that still lay in the future would go as well as it would. But that is the story of another time...


	5. Flight Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years after the end of the Battle of Arcturus Forest, Professor Amanda O'Neill has to deal with an impertinent student in her Flight Class. How will she handle the situation?

Flight Class

It was a beautiful day at Luna Nova Magical Academy, with only a few clouds dotting the bright blue skies, the sun bringing some welcomed warmth, and a refreshing breeze blew from the northwest. All in all, a perfect day for flying, which wasn’t always a guarantee in Western England, and Professor O’Neill was a stickler for flying through any sort of weather, save for weather that could seriously injure a student, such as a thunderstorm or very thick fog. “Out there in the world, y’all might be flying in all sorts’ve conditions,” the fiery-haired professor had said in that Texas drawl on the first day of classes. “Better to learn how to fly safely now than to be grounded later, or even worse, fly in weather y’all aren’t ready for.”

That seemed to be the American professor’s style…despite her wild appearance with undercut, two-toned red hair and tattoos on her arms that she shamelessly bared to the annoyance of some of the more conservative teachers, she took the safety of her students incredibly seriously, and she watched her flying students like a hawk, her bright green and electric blue eyes missing very little, much to the consternation of-

“Miss Laveau, slow _down_!” Professor O’Neill’s voice cracked through the air, and Keyatta Laveau, witch descendent from a proud lineage of Cajun witches from Delacroix, Louisiana, immediately slowed down her broom before turning an annoyed grimace back up towards the walkway extending off of the Observatory Tower to see Professor O’Neill scowling down at her.

“What?!” she gave a complaining shout back up to the teacher and the other students. “Come on, I wasn’t even going that fast!”

“I know you know the rules, Laveau, keep it at the proper speed or I’ll ground you!”

Keyatta rolled her eyes before going _so_ much slower than she was capable of going, and just to be a brat, she started doing exaggerated loop-de-loops. To her surprise, Professor O’Neill didn’t yell at her, instead sparing her one last annoyed glare before she returned her attention to the next student to fly off the end of the walkway. Later, during lunch, the African-American student and the Irish-American professor would both gripe to their peers about one another, much to the amusement of those around them. After all, anyone could see that the two of them were very similar in temperament…no wonder they didn’t get along…

For Amanda, it was Professor Finnelan to whom she complained while they ate their lunches in the staff cafeteria. “Like, I just don’t get it, she’s one of the smartest girls in her year and is a model student with the other professors, why can’t she just follow the rules in my class?”

Finnelan literally snorted into her tea at that, turning astounded blue eyes on the younger professor. “Really? You, of all people, are asking that?” she asked, voice incredulous. “As I recall, Katelyn…er, Nelson, that is, she used to say very much the same thing about a hotheaded student from Texas twelve years ago,” she said, her expression only saddening a little at the mention of her friend. But then she gave a slight, teasing grin. “Well, perhaps not the smartest girl in her year, mind…” she said leadingly, and Amanda rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said with a flippant wave of her hand before she sighed, crossing her arms and staring at the egg salad and olive sandwich on her plate. “I dunno, Finnelan, like…I’m tempted to let her do her thing, but what if she gets hurt? Then it’d be my fault, and after…after Arcturus Forest, I can’t stand the thought of losing anyone else I’m responsible for.”

The look Finnelan gave her was sympathetic. “Well, the Headmistress has given you some pretty decent leeway in your curriculum, O’Neill. Give it some thought, I’m sure you’ll think of something…”

Meanwhile, in the student cafeteria, Keyatta was having a much more spirited discussion about the matter, a scowl on her pretty face as she stabbed her spoon repeatedly into her mashed potatoes as the other two in the lavender team, Astrid Ingridsdottir from Iceland and Lihua Chang from China looked on with amusement. “I just don’t get what her damn problem is!” she snapped, the harsh tone at odds with her usually relaxed Louisianan drawl. “Like, I ain’t a damn kid, I know how to ride a broom!”

“Yes, but if a student is hurt during her class, it will be the professor’s fault,” Lihua reminded her primly before she took a drink from her water glass, and Keyatta fairly glared at her.

“I _know_ that, but…it’s like she wants me to keep training wheels on when I don’t need them, and it’s so annoying. It’s like she doesn’t care what I’m capable of, and I just don’t know why!”

Lihua and Astrid glanced at one another. “You have heard the rumors about Professor O’Neill, right?” Astrid asked, and Keyatta huffed.

“Which ones? To date, there’s the one where when Atsuko Kagari was a professor here before she went into showbiz, O’Neill would frequently show up and have a tryst with Kagari in her office. Then there’s the one saying that O’Neill has a whole harem of witches out in Wedinburgh that she’s banging on the weekends. Or how about-”

“Not her love life, Key, but her history as a broom rider,” Lihuang said with a roll of her eyes.

“You mean like the Battle of Arcturus Forest? Lih, we learn about that in History of Magic. That’s not a rumor, that’s documented history. She was in command of the air group.”

“And how many riders did she lose?” Astrid asked. “They suffered really badly against the Silent Spring cult, surely that would make her want to be cautious…”

“Plus there’s the whole matter of her winning a bunch of broom races and she was a professional daredevil for a while…”

“Wait, what?” Keyatta asked, frowning. “She was a daredevil?”

“Yeah, it was probably like, six or seven years ago that she retired from all that, she was pretty popular on Witchtube for a long time.”

Keyatta blinked at that. Her family had been pretty traditional, and so frowned on things like Witchtube and other _fancy_ modern spells…by the Nine, she shuddered to think about what Grand-maman would say about the magitronics courses being taught now. “I didn’t know,” she murmured to herself thoughtfully. That night, she would stay up until the wee hours of the morning, watching old footage of a woman she could scarcely believe was the stuffy flight instructor of Luna Nova. And through all of that, the resentment grew. Professor O’Neill used to fly like _that_ and she was complaining about Keyatta going a little too fast? _Merde_ , but that was so annoying! Her next flight class was on Friday, and she’d show Professor O’Neill _then_ , by God! Decision made and tentative plan forming in her mind, she fell into an uneasy sleep.

xxxXXXxxx

Hannah quirked an eyebrow as Amanda came storming into the house on Friday evening, her expression thunderous. “Rough day at class?” she asked as Barbara came into the living room, drying her hands, the two of them watching as Amanda angrily toed her shoes off and making a beeline to the kitchen where they heard the fridge open and then close, followed by the sound of a beer bottle opening. Then Amanda reappeared, still scowling as she threw herself onto the couch, dropping her feet on top of the coffee table before taking a deep drink from the bottle, and Hannah and Barbara glanced at one another, slightly concerned. This was the worst mood Amanda had been in coming home from school in a long while.

Finally Amanda pulled the bottle away from her lips with a gasp for air. “I’m gonna kill her,” she muttered darkly.

Hannah rolled her eyes. “If it’s a student you’re talking about, it’s probably not allowed, love.”

“She deserves it!”

“Who was it, that Laveau girl from the US?” Barbara asked, and Amanda huffed out a wordless acknowledgment. “What’d she do this time?”

“Damn near gave me a heart attack today!” Amanda snapped before taking another drink. “For a moment, I thought she had lost control of her broom, and I went after her like a shot, but she gained control just before she hit the trees and then just smirked up at me. Little brat!”

Hannah and Barbara just _looked_ at one another before turning almost sappily sympathetic faces on their lover. “Oh, no, Amanda, what _ever_ will you do?” Hannah started, and Amanda shot her a sharp glance.

“Oi,” she started warningly, but Barbara was already talking.

“How awful, you’d think these kids would know to behave themselves doing something so dangerous. Honestly, the lack of self-preservation in some people. It doesn’t remind you of anyone that we know, does it, Han?”

Hannah tapped her chin thoughtfully. “It does sound familiar, Babs, but I just _can’t_ put my finger on it…”

By now Amanda was pouting at them. “Alright, alright, I get it, no need to be so mean about it.”

“Awww, poor Amanda thinks that we’re being mean,” Hannah grinned, some heat creeping into her tone, and Barbara caught on immediately, wrapping loose arms around her, resting her cheek on Hannah’s shoulder as she fixed glittering eyes on Amanda, who was now watching them very intently.

“How _ever_ shall we make it up to her?” Barbara asked, and Hannah almost laughed at the way Amanda swallowed thickly at that.

“I think I might have an idea,” she murmured as she turned her head and captured Barbara’s lips in a slow, heated kiss. The rest of the evening was spent rather successfully distracting Amanda from the issues that plagued her mind. Unfortunately it would be only a short reprieve…

xxxXXXxxx

“Miss Laveau,” came the stern voice, and Keyatta froze, wind whistling around the crowd gathered on the walkway of the Observatory, her broom propped on her shoulder.

She sighed heavily before turning slowly, facing the irate face of the other American. “Yes, Professor?” she asked, voice kept carefully free of derision.

“Look, I know you’re a skilled rider, but you have to follow the rules, alright?” Professor O’Neill asked, voice almost weary, and for a brief moment, Keyatta almost felt sorry for her teacher. Then steel crept into Professor O’Neill’s expression. “That said, you ever pull a stunt like Friday again, I’m taking your broom and giving you a D- for the semester, am I understood?”

“Yes, Professor,” Keyatta muttered, and as Professor O’Neill nodded and began to turn away, the resentment of all the scolding she had received caused the words to spill from her lips. “Pfft, like _you_ could do any better.”

Everyone froze at that, Keyatta included. She hadn’t meant to say it, she really hadn’t! Respect for elders and those in authority had been drilled into her from a very young age, and if Papa had been there, he’d probably already be switching her backside for daring to sass her teacher. She glanced, wide-eyed and fearful, at Lihuang and Astrid who were both looking at her with horrified expressions. Then again, so were all of the other students immediately surrounding her, and she licked her lips nervously as she looked at the frozen back of Professor O’Neill. _Nine preserve me, she’s going to be so furious!_

But when the professor turned around, it wasn’t with an angry scowl, it was with a look of almost incredulous delight, and she gave a short, astonished laugh the molded into words. “I-I’m sorry, but _what_ did you just say?”

“I…I…I didn’t mean…I’m so sor-!” Keyatta stammered, but Professor O’Neill cut her off.

“No, seriously. I want you to say that again, _right now_.”

Keyatta winced, her heart sinking into her stomach. Well, Professor O’Neill was telling her to say the words again, and she was already in enough trouble. Might as well. “I said, ‘like you could do any better,’ ma’am,” she answered meekly, head bowed.

“Okay, okay, that’s what I thought. Stay right where you are, nobody else start flying.” The rustle of clothes, and Keyatta looked up to see the red-headed flight instructor pull out her wand, all while _grinning_ at Keyatta with an expression that would have been home on a shark’s face. “ _Vera Gurasare_ ,” Professor O’Neill chanted, and she disappeared with a pop.

For a moment silence reigned, but then Astrid turned to Lihuang. “Dibs! I call dibs on her crystal ball!”

Lihuang scowled. “Damn, I wanted that, it’s got better reception than mine does. Fine, I get her potions set.”

“That’s fair. Do you want her antique shrunken head?”

“Ugh, no, that thing creeps me out. It always feels like it’s watching me…”

Keyatta frowned. “What are you doing?” she snapped, and her two teammates turned exasperated looks on her.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re divvying up your belongings now, so we don’t fight after Professor O’Neill kills you.”

Keyatta scoffed. “She’s not gonna kill me!” she protested, but she couldn’t help some of the doubt that crept into her words. Given some of the rumors about Professor O’Neill’s kill count during the fight against Silent Spring, could she be blamed for doubting, though?

And so her two so-called friends continued to lay claim to her belongings, other students occasionally throwing in a request, and an almost festive mood seemed to grip everyone except for Keyatta. After all, no one had ever seen Professor O’Neill really _angry_ before, and there was a lot of curiosity about how exactly the punishment would be meted out.

Then, finally, one of the girls keeping lookout cried out. “Hey! There she is!” And then, softer, with frank admiration in her voice: “Oh, damn.”

There was almost a stampede as the students crowded at the railing, getting a look at the professor now walking towards the Observatory, and Keyatta couldn’t help but silently repeat that sentiment in her head. _Oh, damn._

Professor O’Neill had changed out of her teacher’s robes and into something much more informal…dark green khaki cargo pants with knee pads built into them and a tight, black sleeveless shirt that showed off her trim torso, leanly muscled and tattooed arms, and broad shoulders. A beat up pair of combat boots and flight goggles strapped across her forehead completed the ensemble. She also had one of the biggest and monstrous looking brooms resting across her shoulders, and for the first time, Keyatta realized that she may have made a mistake. She gulped nervously as Professor O’Neill jabbed a finger up at the tower and then pointed at the ground in front of her.

“Oh my God, she’s going to kill me,” she whimpered, but there was nothing else she could do. A feeling of dread sitting like concrete in her stomach, she mounted her broom and flew down to the waiting professor, feeling very much like she was going to her executioner.

When she landed, she stood meekly in front of Professor O’Neill who stared at her with unreadable eyes. Then the older witch huffed, and brought her broom around with a flourish, the broom whistling through the air before it came to a rest. “Alright, so, you’re gonna back up your words, kid, we’re going to race. And this? This…is Silver,” Professor O’Neill said as she gestured to the massive broom, and Keyatta couldn’t help the small frown that took to her face, one that the professor noticed. “What?” she asked, tone short.

“Sorry, it’s just…Silver? That’s an odd name for a broom.”

Professor O’Neill frowned. “Silver…as in the Lone Ranger’s horse. It’s a classic name!”

By some small mercy, Keyatta kept her face composed, even as that little bit of knowledge made Professor O’Neill just that little bit more relatable. Her teacher liked old-timey cowboy shows. Huh. “Of course,” she said, tone neutral, and Professor O’Neill stared at her with narrowed eyes before she continued.

“ _Anyway_ , Silver here was made by Caplett and Prague, and probably cost more than your family’s property.”

Her first reaction was to scoff. Her family was one of the more prominent families of Louisiana, but then she really processed what Professor O’Neill had said. Caplett and Prague was the Bugatti of the broom world, and she gave the monstrous broom a once over, noting the sleek design and the unique knee and foot pegs, and she remembered some of the footage she had seen where Professor O’Neill had been able to keep full control over the broom without her hands. There were also gouges cut into the wood of the broom handle, as well as scorch marks. This was the broom the older witch had taken to battle against Silent Spring. And Keyatta was so totally dead. A school broom couldn’t compare to that broom.

Thus, it came as a complete surprise when Professor O’Neill tilted the broom handle towards her. “You will be the one riding it.”

Keyatta’s eyes flared open in shock. “What?”

“If I rode this, it wouldn’t be fair. So, you get Silver, I’ll ride your broom.”

“But Professor…I-I don’t want to damage it!”

Professor O’Neill threw her head back and laughed out loud at that. “Ha! Trust me kid, you should be _way_ more worried about this broom hurting _you_ than you hurting _it_. Now come on, put your hand on the broomstick, I have to tell it that you’re allowed to fly it.” Kenyatta hesitantly put her hand on the well-worn handle, and her breath was instantly taken away. It was like grabbing onto a live wire! And Professor O’Neill was going to let her ride this thing? “Silver, this is Keyatta Laveau, she’s going to be riding you. Don’t hold anything back, do exactly what she tells you to.”

The broom seemed to pulse in her hand, and some of that intensity to it seemed to reduce, and Keyatta let out a slow breath, suddenly very nervous. She was really going to ride this monster? Yes, apparently. Professor O’Neill was already mounting Keyatta’s broom, lifting off and hovering about ten feet off the ground, looking down at her. “We’ll do one lap, and I’ll mark the course with a trail, then we can race, and whoever wins gets bragging rights. Now come on, we don’t have all day.”

Numbly, Keyatta cast _Tia Freyre_ , and Silver hovered obediently three feet off the ground, and she mounted it, rear resting on the well-worn saddle, wrapping her legs around the pegs so that they rested behind her knees and on top of her feet, like she had seen Professor O’Neill do in the videos on Witchtube. Heart hammering nervously, she gently brought the broom up to where her professor was waiting, and it was so strange…she could almost _feel_ the broom’s impatient potential, it was like she was driving a formula one race car at the speed limit. The broom did it, but it seriously felt like it wanted to open up and just _go_.

Professor O’Neill gave her a smirk before turning forward and heading off, a sparkling golden trail emitting from Keyatta’s broom’s bristles, and the course that they were to run started with a long straightaway before banking sharply to the right before it meandered all over the school, at times mere feet from the ground, other times soaring up into the sky. It circled tightly up and around the New Moon Tower before diving sharply towards the ground. It did two laps around the perimeter of the athletic field. It weaved through the spires on the roof of the main school building, and it ran a few feet over the ground, heading towards the Observatory before it shot straight up, and Professor O’Neill marked a horizontal circle just in front of the end of the walkway that would be the finish.

They stopped there for a moment, and Keyatta glanced at all of her classmates who were looking at her with wide, disbelieving eyes, and she licked her lips as she wiped sweaty hands off on her robes, and Professor O’Neill was still smirking at her. “You can back out now if you want,” she said, amusement clear in her voice, and the competitive fire in Keyatta’s heart was lit.

“No, I want to do this!” she protested, and Professor O’Neill nodded before going into a slow dive back towards the base of the tower and the start point, and Keyatta took a deep, steeling breath. Okay, she had the better broom, and she was also smaller and lighter than the older witch. She _should_ be more able to maneuver through tight areas…right? Professor O’Neill had well over a decade of riding experience, including some very high stakes races, but she was on Keyatta’s broom, and while it was a nice enough broom, it wasn’t built for a race more intense than the Luna Nova Cup. Surely she had a chance!

With that little bit of self-reassurance, she gave one last glance at her classmates before she, too, dived down to where Professor O’Neill was now waiting, and seeing the red-headed teacher roll her multi-colored eyes, she looked behind her to see most of her class taking off on their own brooms as they headed for the best vantage points to see the race. They were going to have an audience.

Then she reached the start point, and Professor O’Neill fished a pair of goggles out of one of her pants cargo pockets and handed them to her. “Here, you’re going to want these,” she said, dropping the goggles that had been resting across her forehead down over her mismatched eyes as Keyatta put on the offered goggles, making sure that the strap was tight. Once her hands returned to the broomstick, Professor O’Neill shot her a look. “Alright, y’all ready?” she drawled, and Keyatta nodded, nerves skyrocketing, and she wouldn’t trust herself to speak. “Alright, on your mark…get set… _go_!”

They were both off like a shot, the air instantly roaring against Keyatta’s ears as Silver rocketed forward, easily outstripping Professor O’Neill, and Keyatta couldn’t help the exhilarated whoop that erupted from her as she tore down the golden trail…only for that excitement to disappear as she shot past the turn, and she grunted, straining with all her strength to try and turn the broom to return to the race course, lifting her head to see Professor O’Neill effortlessly make the sharp turn, legs crossed at the ankles over the broomstick as she yanked up on the broom, taking the lead. Snarling every last Cajun curse she knew under her breath, Keyatta wrestled with Silver, finally getting it to turn, and she shot after Professor O’Neill as she cursed herself for her stupidity. All the speed in the world wouldn’t help if she lost fine control of the broom. She only had to go just a little faster than she knew her broom was capable of, and she’d win!

The next leg of the race didn’t have much in the way of sharp turns, and she was able to close the large gap that had developed between her and Professor O’Neill, but she couldn’t quite take the lead before they reached the New Moon Tower, and she grit her teeth as she followed Professor O’Neill in the spiraling path up and up, and she started to get a feel of just how badly she was actually outclassed. She was able to keep the path, but her movements were slightly jerky, and she kept well away from the tower…Professor O’Neill was as smooth as silk in her flight, and had she reached a hand up, she’d be able to touch the tower whose windows flashed by in rapid blurs. _By the Nine, she’s good_ , she breathed to herself…and then they were clear of the tower and heading into the dive, the negative G’s pulling at Keyatta’s robes, and her stomach seemed to rise up into her throat as she was able to use gravity to take the lead again…only to lose it as she slowed down well in advance of the ground so that she could make the sharp turn. Overshooting a hard bank wasn’t a problem when you had nothing but air in front of you, but not pulling out of a dive heading right for the ground…

So it was a surprise when Professor O’Neill shot past her at the same break neck speed, and she couldn’t help the cry of alarm as the Texan rocketed towards the hard and unforgiving ground, only to stare in shock as Professor O’Neill managed to pull out of the dive, the bristles of Keyatta’s broom slapping the grass before O’Neill was pulling further ahead, and Keyatta grit her teeth as she followed after, once again closing the distance as they closed in on the athletic field, but even here she was outmatched, Professor O’Neill heading into the turns perilously close to the ground, close enough that when she turned, her knees brushed against the ground, the pads built into the pants protecting them as well as providing that much more friction to have the turns be that much sharper, and frustration bit at Keyatta as the gap between her and the Professor grew that much wider. She didn’t even know that her broom was capable of flying like that, how the hell did Professor O’Neill make it look that effortless?!

Then they were on the straightaway heading towards the main building, and Keyatta tried, she really did, but the lead between her and the Professor was just too big for her to clear in the short distance they had, and all she could manage was to get within ten feet of Professor O’Neill when they entered the spires, and honestly, it was at that point that Keyatta gave up all hope of actually winning this thing. She had to slow down to a manageable speed as she wove between the towering spires, but through it all, she couldn’t help but gape at Professor O’Neill. Keyatta was confident enough in her flying ability to keep the distance between her and the spires to within a few feet as she passed them…Professor O’Neill? She kept the distance down to mere inches, and _how_ she did it blew Keyatta’s mind.

Professor O’Neill moved her body, not the broom, and it boggled the mind to think of how much strength and coordination it must have taken, but for each spire that she passed, Professor O’Neill would literally throw her body in the opposite direction, keeping contact with the broom with only a hooked ankle and gripping hand, and the amount of control she must have had over the broom to keep from spinning out of control as she did the crazy maneuver…Keyatta wasn’t strong enough, wasn’t powerful enough to exert that much control over a broom, and probably wouldn’t for years!

Then they were clear of the main building, and Keyatta ground her teeth together as she leaned low over the broom, urging it to go faster, to close that unbridgeable gap between her and the professor, and Silver complied, leaping forward eagerly. This time, she drew even with Professor O’Neill as they shot toward the near right angle turn that lead straight up the side of the Observatory, and she glanced over to see the former daredevil flier smirk at her before Keyatta had to slow down so she could make the turn safely, and she watched as Professor O’Neill leapt up away from the broom, planting a foot on top of where the bristles met the broomstick, pulling up with all her strength, the muscles of her back flexing and swelling with the strain of it as the bristles rasped against the grass before she was shooting straight up, body perfectly in line with the broom, and her sleek form cut through the air with very little drag, giving her just enough of an edge that Keyatta, despite trying her hardest, still finished the race just behind Professor O’Neill, much to the delight of her classmates who cheered and clapped at Professor O’Neill’s victory, and as the redhead slowed down and sat properly on the broom and Keyatta caught up to her, she shot a smug look at her. “So, you still think I can’t do any better?” she laughed.

Keyatta didn’t reply as she turned and headed back to the walkway, depositing the broom silently against the railing after she landed. She wasn’t even mad, she was actually terribly impressed with how well Professor O’Neill had flown, but the knowledge that she hadn’t had a chance even while on Silver was a bitter pill to swallow. She wouldn’t participate in the rest of the lesson after Professor O’Neill corralled all the other students back and continued her teaching. Instead, Keyatta merely sat on the walkway in the bright sun and brisk wind, arms wrapped around the legs drawn up to her chest as she went through the race moment by moment, analyzing every last move that Professor O’Neill had made. The older witch was so skilled, so it still begged the question:

Why would someone who could fly like _that_ be so opposed to any of the students really pushing their skills and abilities to the max? Was she truly so afraid of losing someone that she would continue to keep them well below what they were _all_ capable of?

These thoughts continued to ear at her as Professor O’Neill wrapped up the lesson and the rest of the students left, Lihuang and Astrid hesitating slightly over her as she continued to sit, but with a pair of sighs, they, too, mounted their brooms and left, leaving only her and Professor O’Neill on the walkway.

“Hey, kiddo, are you alright?” Professor O’Neill asked after a long pause, and normally the nickname would have annoyed Keyatta, but Professor O’Neill never called anyone by a nickname. “I, uh, I’d like to apologize for what I said…at the end of the race. It wasn’t very mature of me, but I was so pumped up after the race…it’s not very often than I get the chance to really fly like that…”

“Professor…” Keyatta started, voice hesitant. “Why…why won’t you let use really fly?” She turned confused, sad eyes on Professor O’Neill, who shifted uneasily, a look of discomfort on her face. “I’d get so mad because you treated me like a little kid when all the other professors would treat me my age, but…”

“Little kid?” Professor O’Neill scoffed as she dropped down to sit beside Keyatta. “I wouldn’t let a little kid ride that course, and I sure as shit wouldn’t let a little kid ride Silver!” Then she paused, fingers tapping absently on the floor of the walkway. “I just…I lost a lot of close friends and a cherished mentor during the Battle of Arcturus Forest, and the thought of losing anyone else, especially for something stupid like an accident while broom riding…I wouldn’t be able to live with myself,” she said, voice almost broken, and Keyatta shot a startled glance at her teacher, who had a completely open look on her face, a deep vulnerability to her as she opened up to her student, and Keyatta wasn’t sure how to handle being the one that Professor O’Neill was so open towards.

Then she glanced at Silver and blinked as the idea struck her. “Hey, Professor, can I ask a favor?” she asked, and at the redhead’s questioning glance, she continued. “Can I…can I see you run that course, on Silver, not holding anything back?”

Professor O’Neill stared at her for a long moment before a mischievous grin split her face. “You know what, kid, I’ll do you one better. You want to ride with me while I run the course?”

Keyatta’s eyes flared open at the, and she was so very glad that her dark skin helped hide blushes as the thought of riding on Silver with Professor O’Neill struck her full force. “I-I don’t know if that would b-be a good idea, Professor,” she protested, and Professor O’Neill just grinned wider.

“Nah, it’ll be fine. I’ve had to ride double with other students before, generally witches who are really uncertain of their ability and need someone to show them the ropes.” She stood up, dusted off her pants, and offered a hand to Keyatta. “Come on, I insist.”

Keyatta hesitated for a moment before she placed her hand in the warm, well-calloused hand of her professor, and she was pulled effortlessly to her feet as her blush deepened, though thankfully it seemed as though Professor O’Neill didn’t noticed as she prepared for the flight, first telling Silver that it would bear two riders, and it flashed briefly as the saddle elongated and the pegs moved so that both riders could rest their feet on them. Then Professor O’Neill changed Keyatta’s robes that they had a harness that she would connect to her belt, for safety, she explained cheerily as she motioned to the leather strap that Keyatta had noticed wrapped around the broomstick and that was attached to the saddle. Professor O’Neill would be attached to the broom, and Keyatta would be attached to her professor, so there was no chance of falling.

They mounted, and Keyatta wrapped arms around Professor O’Neill’s waist after she attached the clip of her harness to Professor O’Neill’s belt, feeling the firm, toned muscles dancing under the black fabric of her teacher’s shirt as Professor O’Neill buckled herself onto the broom. “Alright, just remember, keep with my body as we fly. We won’t be going as fast as I can get Silver to go, but it’ll be fast. And if you do well, then maybe we can talk about starting an advanced flyer’s course. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds good, Professor,” Keyatta managed to say with a level voice, despite the heavy blush on her face.

Professor O’Neill laughed as the broom lifted off the walkway. “Of course it does, it’s my idea! Now, hold on, here we go!” They shot off into the welcoming spring sky like an arrow fired from a bow, and Keyatta couldn’t help the laugh of delight that sprang from her lips as they dove towards the ground and the waiting starting point. After the flight, which would be the fastest Keyatta had ever been on, she would resolve to become the president of the sizable Professor O’Neill Fan Club as well as to put together the framework for an Advanced Flyer’s Club to be presented to the Headmistress, but right here and now, she resolved to truly enjoy the feeling of the wind in her hair, the warm sun against her skin, and the strength of the professor she held onto and moved with as they streaked through the course.

One thing was for damn certain, though…she was never going to be a problem student for Professor O’Neill ever again!


	6. The Peace Found Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko has been on her journey to recover from the Battle of Arcturus Forest for longer than a year, yet the peace that she is so desperately looking for has thus far eluded her, and she finds herself in a small temple up in the mountains of China. Will an old monk's wise words nudge her in the direction she needs to go, or will she continue to wander, lost and broken?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My submission for Dianakko Week 2019 Day 1: Soulmates. Hope you enjoy!

Magic was such a strange thing. There were rules to it, of course…after all, that was how magic spells were cast. But there was so much that wasn’t known, that would probably never be known. It seemed as though the more someone tried to control it, force it to do what they wanted, the more chance for chaos there was. Was that what had happened to her? Had she misused magic? Had she gone too far, bent it too far to her will in order to do what was necessary? Had her actions made it so that there was no rest, no _peace_ for her?

Akko grimaced from where she knelt in the small temple somewhere up in the mountains of China. She was surrounded by meditating monks, and was trying to achieve the same inner peace that they were displaying, the inner peace that had eluded her since the Battle of Arcturus Forest, the inner peace she was so desperate for. It had been so very long since she had known true peace.

 _First step, center your breathing_.

Her eyes drifted shut as her breathing slowed, and somewhere in the distance, a chanting prayer was called in a nasally voice, the Chinese foreign to Akko’s ears, and she focused on the rolling words for a moment before she slipped deeper, and-

Fire. Death. Ruin. Blood that wasn’t hers on the blade that had formed from the sleeve of her dress. Blood that _was_ hers hot and wet against her torn flesh. The inability to breathe. Terror and hopelessness as she stared the embodiment of Death itself in the face. Diana. Sweet, brave Diana. Working in tandem to dispel that monster. And then, slipping away into oblivion, an oblivion she never expected to come back from.

Her eyes snapped open, and she swallowed heavily, mind racing as the floodgates opened, her memories flitting from one trauma to the next, crashing and smashing and spinning like billiard balls in her still damaged mind.

Ambushes and counter-ambushes against Silent Spring members.

Holding a junior witch’s hand as she bled to death in the aftermath of a particularly bad skirmish, the young woman’s wounds too great to heal in time.

The very first time she killed a person. A man, with dark hair that had silver touching the temples. One of the leaders of a Silent Spring cell. He had smelled of cologne and old books and fear and desperation, and she had killed him and watched impassively as his cold, cruel eyes went dim, a woman’s name on his lips as he exhaled one last time. It wasn’t until she got to the hotel she was using that she had come apart under the realization that she had killed someone.

Her breath was coming fast, far too fast, and the dark, candlelit interior of the temple was no longer comforting, it was claustrophobic, the incense infused air suffocating, pressing in against her senses, and she stumbled to her feet. She mumbled an apology as she jostled the monks seated nearest to her, though if you had asked her what language she had gasped the words out in, she wouldn’t have been able to say. No, she was far too focused on getting out, a cold sweat bathing her body as she managed to escape the dark chamber, fairly exploding out into the sunlit walkways of the mountain temple.

She gasped for breath for a moment. Then, almost angrily, she swept the heels of her palms against her eyes, dashing away the tears that had started to gather. How long had it been, and she was still reacting like this? Her head felt like it was full of static, bursting and popping and hissing, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on how the crisp mountain wind felt against her sweat drenched skin.

Thirteen months. That’s how long it had been since the battle. A half month from when she passed out to when she woke up, returned to Cavendish Manor, and then departed from Wedinburgh Airport. Five days after that to when she reached Sucy’s home, and then a week to when she began the long journey to try and quell the demons and black dogs that resided in her mind, keeping the peace she so desperately wanted out of her yearning grasp. The year since departing Sucy’s home had not gotten her that peace, not even the five months she had spent with her family in Japan.

It had been nice to see Okaa-san and Otou-san, as well as her grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and their children, but…but they had no idea. They could see that the prodigal daughter of the Kagari family was hurt, but they didn’t know how to help her…but they couldn’t be blamed for that. Akko didn’t know how to help herself! But she knew that the quiet whispers, the looks of ill-disguised pity, and the constant pandering would be the death of her. She had found herself distancing herself from her family as each day wore on, retreating to her room to use her crystal ball and phone to talk to her friends from around the world. That had helped some, though she didn’t miss how she spoke to Diana most of all, how she felt the calmest when she was speaking with her once rival, and there were times when the urge to get a plane ticket to fly all the way back to England was almost overpowering, but…

…she hadn’t been ready then, and still wasn’t ready even now. She couldn’t bear to face Diana, not while she was still so broken. Diana deserved happiness…they _both_ deserved happiness, and they wouldn’t find it together, not with the way that Akko was right now. Akko knew that she couldn’t expect to be completely better before returning to England and fulfilling her promise to her…her friend. That was unrealistic. But she just knew, could feel it in her bones, that if she went back to Diana right now, it would only end in tragedy, just like how her visit with her family had.

She had snapped. She hadn’t meant to, she really didn’t, but the counseling services she had tried wasn’t doing anything and she was getting frustrated with how her family was treating her like spun glass. She had PTSD, she wasn’t broken! And always with those looks of pity, of condescension. Our Akko awakened magic, but she can’t get over a battle. Well, fuck you, Aunt Hisako, maybe if you had been there, you’d understand instead of talking about shit you know nothing about!

She was turning into a powder keg, and only needed a spark to be set off, a spark which was provided by one of her cousins, who muttered that perhaps it would have been better if she was _normal_ , if she wasn’t a witch, if she had never left for Luna Nova in the first place, if magic hadn’t ever existed in her first place.

She had screamed at him, words slurring as a cruel reminder of the brain injury she had suffered, but she hadn’t been able to stop, hadn’t been able to hold back. Magic was everything to her. She had worked so hard to be where she was, and if it wasn’t for her, then perhaps Silent Spring would have won, and Earth would have _died_! The tirade lasted far longer than she had expected, and in the stunned silence that followed, she was aware of just how everyone was _staring_ at her, staring at Akko the Witch, Akko the _Freak_. Then one of the babies (the daughter of her cousin Hiro? She couldn’t remember…) started crying, and she whirled, retreating to the small room her parents had given her. It didn’t take long for her to pack.

But what really hurt? Her parents didn’t even try to fight when she told them she was leaving. They just accepted it, offering only token words of sad dismay. They didn’t demand that she stay, they didn’t try to keep her home. They knew what she knew: that she didn’t belong. She had seen too much, been through too much. She no longer fit in the mundane world of her family.

“Will you come and visit?” her father had asked, deep voice sad and soft, and she had hesitated at the doorway, backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Hai,” she finally muttered. “After I…yes. I will visit.”

They had hugged one last time, then, the three of them crying, but no more words were said, and she began the next leg of her journey.

Akko’s eyebrows furrowed as she stared out over the lush, green mountains spread before her. The bitter irony of it all was that she hadn’t used the magic she had so vehemently defended once since the end of the battle. Her wand had stayed in her backpack throughout it all. Perhaps that was part of the problem. She felt unmoored, separated from both the mundane and magical worlds. Even when magic would have made things easier, she hadn’t been able to make herself use magic.

After she had left Japan and started travelling through Southeast Asia, she had thought a lot about why she was so hesitant to use the magic that she once loved. While helping plant rice on a small family farm in Vietnam, when she walked her way across Cambodia, as she visited the open air markets in Thailand, and then while she trekked north through Laos into China, she thought about it. She knew it was tied to her trauma, the PTSD that robbed her of any peace, and it was that odd, pervasive sense of looking for something that she was missing that dragged at her feet. She had to find what she was looking for before she returned to Diana or freely used magic again…she _had_ to! So she hadn’t ridden in any car, nor used a bicycle, nor flown in any plane, worried as she was about missing the thing that she was looking for if she went too fast…the only vehicles she ever used were boats when she travelled over open water. But no matter how many miles she trudged, no matter how many people she met and helped, the answer still alluded her.

And now here she was, standing on the walkways of the mountain temple high up in the Chinese mountains, hoping that the holiness of this place would help her find what she was looking for. But here seemed as empty of answers, the same as everywhere else she had been so far. At least the view was nice, with the clouds and mists rolling heavily off the green mountains…

“You seem troubled, my child.”

The voice speaking heavily accented English was startlingly close, for Akko hadn’t heard anyone approach, and she whirled, heart pounding as her body immediately prepared to strike ruthlessly. But it wasn’t a Silent Spring assassin who stood before her, but one of the monks, an old man with skin as brown and wrinkled as a walnut, and he regarded her with calm, kind eyes. Still, she berated herself for letting him get so close without her noticing. Even lost in thought, she should have been paying enough attention to her surroundings to notice anyone approaching…Silent Spring did still exist, even if the majority of them had been destroyed. Those remnants that still existed might very well be wanting revenge. She’d have to pay more attention from now on…as for this man and his statement.

“I am, sir,” she replied honestly, and he nodded in understanding as he strode up to the wall of the walkway, joining her in looking out over the mountains before them.

“This is good. Noting there is a problem is the first step of overcoming it,” he said, before shooting a glance out of the corner of his eye at her. Returning his gaze to the mountains, he spoke his next words softly. “You remind me of a man I once knew.”

She didn’t say anything, but then, she didn’t have to.

“He, too, came here, only long ago, when I was a very young monk. He was a proud man, but troubled, very troubled. You see, he had served in what the Americans call the Korean War. His unit fought many times against the Americans and the South Koreans, and suffered terrible casualties. He was wounded towards the end, and was brought back home, but could find no peace. He never took a wife, never had any children, for the war and what he had seen weighed too heavily upon his mind. Every night, it seemed as though he returned to the war. Every night, he found no peace.”

 _PTSD_ , her mind supplied. _He was suffering from PTSD, but it didn’t sound like he got any help for it_. “What happened to him?”

The monk smiled softly to himself, the expression melancholy. “He told us how he spent years in the wilderness, unable to be near his fellow man, how he was searching for something he could never find. He finally found himself here. It took him many years and support, but he looked deep within himself and found the peace he had so desperately sought without. He eventually became a monk, and was one of the kindest, most tranquil men that I have ever known.”

Akko scoffed, turning a wry smile on the monk. “So I should wander for years in the wilderness before joining a monastery? Is that how I find peace?”

He chuckled. “That hardly seems fitting of the famed Atsuko Kagari.” At her shocked look, he grinned wider. “We are not so removed from the world that we would not recognize someone like you, my child. You have done great deeds already, and I imagine that great deeds still lie ahead of you, and they would not be accomplished if you holed yourself up in a monastery. No, I believe that what you must do is look within yourself. You are not at peace not because of something in the world around you, but instead because of something within you.” His expression turned grave. “That said, my child…there is no easy solution, there is no one thing that will bring you completely to peace. But knowing what lies within your own heart is an important step on your journey, I feel.”

They spoke for only a few moments after that before he took his leave, leaving Akko with a great deal to think about. Take a look at her heart, he had said. Funnily enough, that was more of a literal reality for witches than it was for the mundanes, but it would require the use of magic. Setting her mouth in a determined line, she made her way up to the small room the monks were letting her use. Barely larger than a closet and only just containing the cot and an old set of drawers, it was still sufficient for her needs. She paused on the threshold before stepping in to the room, grabbing her backpack and opening it, hand hesitating for a moment before she grasped her wand for the first time in many months.

The ease at which the wand’s worn handle fit into the palm of her hand, how _right_ it felt to wrap her fingers around the wand that had seen her through thick and thin filled her with a deep sense of sadness. It wasn’t the wand’s fault that she was the way she was. The wand had done nothing wrong, but even now, with how right it felt to hold it again, she felt like ants were crawling all over her body, fear and anxiety prickling over her.

What if she couldn’t cast magic because of how hard it was for her to speak sometimes? What if magic wouldn’t come for her because of the necessary but terrible things she had done with it? What if it could sense her resentment and bitterness at how the one thing that had once brought her so much joy had brought her nothing but pain, heartache, and agony for most of her adult life?

She frowned. No! She was Akko Kagari! She reawakened magic with the help of one of the most powerful witches of their age when they were only sixteen! She would not shy away from this!

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she took a deep breath to center herself. It was a long, complex incantation for the spell that she was going to cast, something she learned during her last year at Luna Nova. She had struggled with it then, only able to take brief glances within to her own magical signature, but she had matured since then, gotten better control of her magic. If the monk said that she needed to look within, then look within she would!

The words she needed came slowly, spoken with the utmost care, and she could feel the power growing with each uttered syllable. Shaky, yes, but stable enough for what she was trying to do. Her eyes squeezed shut as she finished the last word and released the built up magic, and it was as though she was struck by an ocean wage…massive, indomitable, a force of nature hard to fight. So she didn’t, allowing it to wash over her, and when she opened her eyes again, they no longer saw her room.

No, the view that greeted her was breathtaking, a studded starscape as far as the eye could see, design whirling and flashing, mesmerizing and almost hypnotic. She remembered some of the older witches saying that this spell had been disheartening to cast before the Grand Triskelion had been activated, that the world had seemed a void save for a brief few brilliant but fading glimmers, Sorcerer’s Stones providing magical energy. Now, the entire world was ablaze with magic, beautiful and powerful, sublime in its energy.

But she wasn’t here to look without, she was here to look within.

She turned her gaze towards herself, wincing slightly at the slight disconnect of her consciousness as, for lack of a better description, she looked at herself from a third person point of view. What she saw was…well, pretty much what she expected. It was hard to describe, this crimson, flowering gem with countless petals and facets that was her magical signature. It wasn’t just sight that she perceived, but also feelings…stubborn and headstrong, playful and humorous, but also worn and tired, frightened and wary. Sharp as obsidian in places, but also fragile as spun glass. This was a magical signature…nay, a _soul_ that had been through a great deal.

But then she blinked as her eyes adjusted and she began to perceive more. Her soul wasn’t alone, there were branches that led off into the darkness, almost imperceptible when looked at directly but noticeable from the peripheral, like a dim and distant light in the darkness. So many of them, too, all connecting her to others, but ten were stronger than all the others. Curious, she reached out a hand that wasn’t actually there, and rested her ephemeral fingertips just above a cluster of three strands that ran close together, and she gasped.

A lime green cord that felt stubborn, playful, and strong, a hazel that shared that strength but also had a sharp wit, and a teal that was gentler than the other two, more caring and supportive but not without its own strength. Amanda, Hannah, and Barbara. Fitting, then, that their signatures seemed so intertwined! It didn’t take her very long to identify the rest of the signatures…Lotte and a much dimmer signature that she suspected was Frank’s…Chariot and Croix…Jasminka, as well as Constanze, even Sucy was still there, though hers was not vibrant with life as the others were. But still it remained, and she couldn’t help but remember the one dream she had while at Sucy’s mother’s house and their final farewell. Sucy may be dead, but she wasn’t gone, not truly…and perhaps she wouldn’t really be gone, so long as there were those that remembered her. A bittersweet thought, and a sharp pang of longing ran through Akko. She missed her friend, dearly.

But for all that sadness, she did feel a bit better, having done this. The spell was a stark and definite reminder that for all its chaos, magic joined people together. She was not alone, and never would be. Though the cords of magical energy that connected her with her friends were the strongest, there was no denying that she was connected with countless others, and had she the time, she would have taken care to actually investigate each one. But no, she had to return to the real world. But even as she began to withdraw from the spell, she couldn’t help but look around for the one cord that should have been brightest of all. Where was Diana’s signature?

She barely caught it out of the corner of her eye, but for the briefest of moments, a pale gold streaked with tea green and a light, clear blue flickered across one of the petals of her own signature, and she paused, confused. It seemed to have come from within her essence, and not from a cord connecting her with Diana. Curious now, she gathered her will and dove deeper within her signature, piercing through the outer layers and diving deep, ignoring the brilliant flashes of feelings and the brief flickers of memories tied to her long years of training and schooling to get to where she was.

Deeper and deeper she went, following the flash of gold that grew stronger and stronger the closer she got to the core of her essence, the beating heart of who she _was_ , and when she got there, she gave a soundless gasp into the brilliantly colored void.

It wasn’t a cord connecting her to Diana. No, instead there was a thick strand of the warmly glowing gold signature that was interwoven with the very center of her magical signature, of her very soul. She raised cautious fingers, but where she hadn’t actually touched any other magical signature, she couldn’t help but touch the strand of gold and green and blue that was very much a part of her signature now. A small part, to be sure, but it was still there, still _part_ of her!

Her fingers brushed the surface, and she immediately felt an indescribable flood of warmth, of acceptance, of serenity, of friendship and something _more_ , something that should scare her but didn’t, and after a brief moment, there was a pulse of curiosity from the gold strand as the one that it originally belonged to answered her touch.

Oh. Oh, this was too much! This wasn’t just a minor connection, this was something _more_ , and for a moment she floundered, confused and worried at what it all meant as a word that meant so much with its depth floated to the fore: _soulmates_.

Diana’s soul was inextricably connected with hers.

The shock of it all broke the spell and with a rush the real world returned to her senses, and she was suddenly aware of the tears coursing down her cheeks. It had been so beautiful but so very powerful, like a typhoon in the distance. She gasped for breath as her body reacted to it all, shuddering with what she had seen.

She would always be a part of Diana, and Diana would always be a part of her. Not just connected, but well and truly a _part_ of each other.

Her crystal ball chimed from within her backpack, and she froze. But no, if that was who she thought it was, avoiding her wouldn’t accomplish anything. Gritting her teeth as she steeled herself, she retrieved her ball and activated it.

Diana’s face greeted her, sleepy and slightly confused as she politely hid a yawn behind her hand. “Akko?” she murmured in a throaty voice once the yawn ended. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just…you could tell that was me? How?”

Diana blinked at that, obviously taking the time to think it over. “I don’t know,” she finally answered. “I just did.” Then she frowned, more confused than annoyed or angry. “What was that?”

And so Akko explained it all to Diana who was several time zones away…it must have been very early in the morning for her. Diana didn’t say anything while Akko was talking, and once Akko was done, she still remained silent, face thoughtful. Finally she nodded slightly.

“The Grand Triskelion.”

“Huh?”

“Akko, we awakened magic together…it’s not surprising that our souls are intertwined like that. We were at the epicenter of an event where magic united the world, where everyone with a believing heart supported us in stopping the missile.”

Her tone was calm and factual, and Akko couldn’t stop the question from spilling from her lips. “Being connected like this doesn’t bother you?”

Diana’s head tilted to the side. “Why would it? Akko, you are my dearest friend. You always will be.” A blush touched her cheeks. “Whether as the closest and dearest of friends or…or as something _more_ , I can think of no one I’d rather be so connected to. After all, I don’t lightly make promises to wait for someone to just anyone.” Her face grew concerned, a definite hint of yearning in the lines of her expression. “Akko, I know that I can’t force you to come home any sooner than you are ready to, but it’s been so long already. When are you coming home?”

Going home. Going home to Diana. Going to the one place that she really considered home anymore. The idea no longer seemed as daunting as it was before, but still…

“I don’t know,” Akko admitted. “I’m…I’m still not quite ready.” Diana’s face fell, and Akko’s heart lurched in her chest at the expression. “But…” she started, smiling timidly as Diana looked back up, hope in her blue eyes. “But I think I took a very important step today.”

The truth, she realized with a flash. Her heart and soul still ached, and likely would for a very long time yet. But she wasn’t as alone as she had thought she was, even when she was half the world away from her friends. She was still connected to them, like they were connected to her, and Diana…Diana was a part of her, and now that the shock of that realization had worn off, she took immense comfort in the fact. No matter what, Diana would be with her.

Diana’s smile was soft, but filled with her belief in Akko despite that softness. “I’ll be waiting,” she said, tone unwavering, resolute.

“And I will return to you,” Akko replied, voice just as firm as Diana’s had been. She couldn’t say when, but she _would_ return to Diana. No power in the world could prevent that from happening!

Their conversation ended shortly after that, Diana regretfully informing her that she had to start getting ready for the day, and soon Akko was staring at the blank crystal ball resting on the bed as she processed all that had just happened.

She was connected with her friends, and a small part of Diana’s soul was intertwined with hers, and a small portion of her own soul was undoubtedly a part of Diana’s soul, as well. They would always be connected.

Akko fell back on the bed, smiling at the thought of it. No matter what traumas she endured, no matter what terrors visited in the night, Diana would _always_ be there for her, a silent source of support and strength, a beacon in the dark.

They had been through unbelievable challenges together, had reawakened magic side-by-side, had even stared Death in the face before dispelling its corporeal form. Akko knew that the demons that still hounded her were not gone, and might very possibly never _be_ gone. But they no longer seemed insurmountable like they had before. After all, with Diana’s help?

With Diana’s help, she could do _anything_.

That night would be the first peaceful night of sleep that Akko had in a very long time. The ghosts and demons still howled in the distance of her dreamscape, but Akko took courage from a steady golden glow that she had only needed to find in order to draw on its strength. Diana’s soul kept her safe through the night, and would do so from then on. In the morning, Akko would thank the monks for their hospitality before leaving the monastery. It would still take her five more months to complete the journey to the patiently waiting Diana, but now the journey had focus, was no longer a hopeless meandering as she looked for serenity. She still helped those she came across, still walked rather than ride in train or car or plane, but now she was motivated more by a curiosity of the world around her and those that lived in it rather than by a sharp, aching desire for peace of mind.

After all, the monk had been right, though she suspected not quite in the way that he expected: serenity was found within her own heart, but it was not her heart that provided her with that serenity, but the heart of her one and only, her soulmate, the one who waited for her:

Diana Cavendish.


	7. I'm Falling In Love...Wait, When Did THAT Happen?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko Kagari wakes up one morning at the end of her last year as a student at Luna Nova with a startling realization: she was falling deeply in love with Diana Cavendish. The problem is, she's not quite sure when or how it happened!

Falling in love wasn’t anything at all like she expected, Akko realized one morning during the tail end of her third semester of her final year at Luna Nova. She sat up in bed, a shocked expression on her face while Sucy and Lotte puttered around the room as they got ready for the day.

“Akko, you need to start getting ready,” Lotte warned gently, and Akko blinked.

“I think I’m falling in love with Diana,” she said, and Sucy and Lotte shared glances.

“Oh?” Lotte started, tone neutral as Sucy scoffed and started to get her books together for her classes, movements sharp and jerky. Lotte shot the mauve-haired girl a sad, knowing look before she returned her attention to Akko. “When did this happen?”

Akko tilted her head to the side as she clambered out of bed and got dressed. “I don’t actually know, I just realized it right now. Lotte, when did you fall in love with Frank?”

Lotte hummed thoughtfully as she stacked the textbooks for her morning classes. “If I had to choose one moment, it was actually very early on. Remember when we crashed that one party your first year here, Akko? The one with the cupid bee?”

Akko chuckled. “Yeah. That was crazy!”

“I think I began to fall in love with him after he approached me after the effects of the sting wore off. He was the first boy to ever express an interest in me like that, and he seemed genuinely interested in _me_ , and not in my looks or in my family’s money.” She paused, gave a wry smile. “Not that my family actually _has_ any money…” Her smile turned warm as she looked back at Akko. “I’m glad that he decided to continue to try and woo me. He’s a really good man, and I’m glad I agreed to start dating him last year.”

“So you definitely know when you started to fall in love, right?” Akko asked, before turning curious crimson eyes on Sucy. “Hey, Sucy, do you-?”

Sucy’s voice was sharp, almost gruff as she cut Akko off. “The person I loved never noticed and it wouldn’t work out anyway, so don’t bother me with this nonsense, or else I’m going to experiment on you like it’s going out of style!”

That was sufficient to shut Akko up, and they departed for the cafeteria in silence, though Sucy’s quietness was much less companionable than that of the other two. But the silence gave Akko time to really think about it, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t remember any one moment where she actually started to fall in love with her once rival. It was more a realization that she had that morning: ‘Oh, I’m falling in love with Diana. When did that happen?’ Strange that she didn’t have an answer to that question. Maybe if she asked the others, she could get more insight on the matter.

Throughout the day she approached the members of the Green team. She obviously couldn’t approach Diana about it, nor did she feel close enough to Hannah and Barbara to ask them, plus she had her own suspicions about their relationship with Amanda…the three of them seemed awfully close ever since Amanda helped expose that one bitch for blackmailing Hannah, and had a tendency to disappear together for long stretches of time. And while Akko was headstrong and stubborn and, well, if she was being honest, she was _nosy_ to boot, she could tell that whatever the three of them were doing, they wanted to keep it secret, otherwise they would have come out of whatever closet they were all sharing. So that pretty much left only the Green Team to talk to about it.

Unfortunately for her, neither Jasminka nor Constanze provided anything she could use to figure out her situation, as neither of them had found anyone that they would consider a romantic partner. Given that the two of them were busts, that just left Amanda, which would be rather tricky. Figuring that the direct way was the best way, Akko launched herself at Amanda at the end of the day after classes had ended and started an impromptu wrestling match on the lawn in front of the main building. Funnily enough, the both of them were known to do stuff like this, and barely even drew glances from the other students around them.

Luckily Akko was able to get the upper hand, which wasn’t always a given. She was a little stronger than Amanda was, but Amanda had shot up in height and was significantly taller than Akko was. But this time, she had taken Amanda enough by surprise that she was able to get her red-headed friend in an arm bar.

“What the hell, Akko, get off!” Amanda snarled as she struggled in vain.

“Nope!” Akko chirped as she kept her grip tight around Amanda’s arm. “Not until you answer some questions!”

Amanda furiously tried to free her arm, but couldn’t, and finally stopped. “Fine, ask your questions, you jerk!”

If there had been any real heat behind Amanda’s words, Akko might have let up, but given that Amanda had actually done the exact same thing to Akko the week prior, she felt absolutely zero remorse about it all. Only difference was, Amanda had asked something stupid about favorite horror movies, while Akko was asking about: “Love. How did you know that you fell in love?”

“Well, aren’t we being super sappy? What makes you think that I’m in love with someone?”

“Just answer the question!”

“Jeez, alright, you spaz! _If_ I liked someone, and I totally don’t…don’t smirk like that, Akko! But _if_ I liked someone, I realized that I was when I so how strong they…err, _she_ was but still needed help.” She paused, body relaxing in Akko’s hold, though Akko didn’t ease up at all…there was a very solid chance that it was a trick on Amanda’s part. But then Amanda continued talking, voice soft, thoughtful. “Romance is building each other up, not tearing each other down or putting someone on a pedestal,” she said, sounding altogether too wise for someone currently in an arm bar. “Personally, I really like strength. I can’t stand sissies who need help for everything, but working _with_ someone who is already strong…it just feels right in all the right ways, y’know?”

Akko could definitely see where Amanda was coming from. She let up her grip, which of course led to a whole new round of wrestling that ended with Amanda putting her in a head lock and giving her a noogie for asking such weird, sappy questions. But then, after they were all done with the wrestling, Amanda asked what brought it all on.

“I’m falling in love with Diana,” Akko answered, and Amanda snorted.

“Tell me something that I don’t know,” she snarked. “And of course you would fall for someone like Diana. You do know that her life is going to get insanely complicated after she graduates, right? And you aren’t going to be much better if you get into showbiz, you know.”

Akko shrugged. It was true that she was getting a lot of pointers from Chariot-sensei, as well as getting in touch with some of her contacts from back in the day. She was still quite a way away from becoming a star, but she was definitely taking those first steps. And Diana…even someone blind would be able to see that her looming responsibilities were weighing heavily upon her. She still maintained the highest marks in the entire school, but she was also spending a lot of weekends and all her breaks at the Cavendish Manor, sometimes joined by Hannah and Barbara.

Perhaps _that_ was when it started, she realized later when she was getting ready for bed. When she found herself really missing Diana’s presence while she was away, when she was practically counting the minutes when Diana would return. Clambering into bed, she pulled her covers over her as she settled in. If she couldn’t figure out exactly _when_ she started to fall in love, perhaps she should instead figure out what it was about Diana that she loved.

The answers came quickly. Her looks, of course. Diana had been super pretty when she was sixteen, but now that she was eighteen, she was absolutely gorgeous, poised and sure and beautiful. But Diana wasn’t just a pretty face, she was also ridiculously smart. Sure, Akko was doing a lot better academically (in no small part due to Diana’s personal tutoring) but she was nowhere near Diana, and never would be. But even better than that, Diana was kind, selfless, willing to help those around her with no thought of reward.

It wasn’t just things _about_ Diana that Akko liked, but also Diana’s interests…maybe that was why loving Diana snuck up on her. She fell in love with the things Diana loved first. Now, she still loved running around and getting into hijinks and adventures and living life to the fullest…but now she also loved the smell of old books, the taste of English tea, the quiet murmur of the library as she studied with Diana. Perhaps this is what Amanda meant when she said that romance was building each other up…Diana was definitely less reserved and more open with her friends, and had admitted that she grew that way because of Akko’s influence. Diana helped Akko appreciate the quiet things in life, Akko helped Diana come out of her shell a little. They were helping each other grow stronger.

It was with that thought that Akko realized that it really wasn’t important exactly when she started to fall in love with Diana, it merely mattered that she had. If only she had realized this sooner…now they were far too close to finals for her to make her confession…Diana surely wouldn’t appreciate the distraction from her studies, and besides, Akko couldn’t _afford_ the distraction to _her_ studies. She was a solid B student, but might be able to end up a B+ or even an A- student if she really applied herself during these final tests. A solid end to her time at Luna Nova, and far better than any professor probably expected of her, especially after that first year when she had nearly failed out.

And there wasn’t anything wrong with waiting until after finals. Her feelings wouldn’t change, and perhaps Diana would be more open to her feelings after the stressors of Luna Nova were over. Akko would get in touch with her family…they were already expecting her to remain in England for a while as she hopefully started her career as a magic entertainer, so there shouldn’t be any issues there.

Then the thought struck her. The perfect time to confess to Diana, let her know how she felt. Graduation, when they began the next phase of their lives, no longer children but adults. Akko couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather step into that new life with than Diana. They reawakened magic together, had had other adventures besides, and were the closest of friends. Surely Diana would want to be closer, would want to feel the same deep yearning for _more_ that Akko felt every time she thought of her beautiful friend. Akko wanted to spend her future with Diana.

And so she began to plan over the next few weeks as studying for finals went into full swing and graduation drew closer. Her friends on the Red and Green teams suffered her enthusiasm the way they suffered most of her crazy plans. Amanda teased her mercilessly, Lotte was entirely supportive, Sucy was…well, Sucy was grouchy, but she was _always_ grouchy, Jasminka provided snacks as Akko planned for how and when she’d confess, and Constanze offered some technical support, which Akko surprisingly turned down. Perhaps a year or two ago she’d be all for having a twenty foot robot with fireworks hold up a banner confessing her feelings, but she had, dare she say it, _matured_ over her time at Luna Nova. Plus, Diana would likely not receive such a thing well.

Finals went well, though Akko didn’t quite make it to an A- GPA, but she did manage to get a B+. And then the big day itself arrived, and Akko could barely contain her excitement as she dressed in the formal robes for the event. She would confess her feelings after the ceremony, and her entire body fairly hummed with anticipation.

After all, she was going to confess her feelings to her dearest friend who she _knew_ held her in the deepest, warmest regards. What could possibly go wrong?


End file.
